Ashley Harkleroad

Tennis Player

Born: 2 May 1985

Birthplace: Rossville, Georgia

Best known as:

The American tennis player who posed for Playboy

Tennis pro Ashley Harkleroad made a splash at age 16 when she appeared at the 2001 U.S. Open in extra-tight shorts and a flashy midriff-baring top. She lost in the first round, but the outfit and her long blonde ponytail earned her comparisons to another tennis heartthrob, Anna Kournikova. Earlier the same year she had teamed with Argentina's Gisella Dulko to win the girls' doubles title at Wimbledon, and in both 2000 and 2001 she reached the #1 ranking in U.S. women's 18-and-under tennis, so some saw her as the Next Big Thing for tennis. But her career never really took off and by 2006 she had faded in the world adult rankings, with 39th being her highest career rank. She did reach the third round of the Australian Open in 2007, and won two singles matches to lead the American team to a first-round victory over Germany in the 2008 Federation Cup. She took time off to have a baby in 2009, and has had few matches since.

Extra credit:

Ashley Harkleroad turned pro in the year 2000... In 2001 she signed a contract with shoemaker Nike... She married fellow tennis pro Alex Bogomolov, Jr. in 2004, when she was 19 and he was 21. They divorced in 2006... She married her coach, Chuck Adams, on 19 September 2009. They have a son, Charlie, born on 30 March 2009... Ashley Harkleroad posed nude for the August 2008 edition of Playboy magazine.